Because of the memo's high level of secrecy it was sent through Central Intelligence channels, and no mention is made of how Jaffe and Miller came to have a copy, or from where it was received.

The leaked cable is already considered ammunition by senior military officials who want more aggressive action against the Haqqani within Pakistan, and those leaders who want the U.S. to withdraw from Afghanistan far more gradually than called for by the 2014 deadline.

The U.S. is on track to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan to 68,000 by the middle of next year and take on a more advisory role.

The Haqqani network carries out some of the most dramatic and successful missions against U.S. forces in Afghanistan, like the one at the U.S. embassy in Kabul last year.

It's the same group mentioned by Mike Mullen when he retired last year, and it's run by Jalaluddin Haqqani — a major fighter in the CIA's effort to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan in the 1980s.